AutoNaut has secured investment from the Seiche Group to advance R&D aims, assure long-term growth and develop business across UK and international markets.

In September 2015, Seiche agreed its first investment in AutoNaut and this new deal sees them take a majority stake in the company. AutoNaut Ltd is the new name for the company previously trading as MOST (Autonomous Vessels).

Directors David Maclean and Mike Poole will continue to run the company from their Chichester base, concentrating on technical and marketing/sales activity respectively.

The investment from Seiche will provide additional resources for R&D and manufacturing as well as administrative support. Seiche will also help to expand all sales and marketing activity.

Roy Wyatt, MD of Seiche, said: “AutoNaut is set to be the go-to marine data collection hub of the future. AutoNaut can independently operate offshore for months fitted with a suite of cutting edge sensor technologies. AutoNaut complements and completes Seiche’s portfolio of monitoring, mitigation and measurement products and services.”

David Maclean of AutoNaut added: “Seiche’s investment gives us a great opportunity to take our AutoNaut business to the next level of growth and to tackle the expanding global market for specific applications of marine autonomous systems. In four years we have taken a revolutionary wave propulsion technology, proved it is seaworthy, and turned it into a widely capable marine data collection hub to gather and transmit data from below, above, and at the surface of the world’s oceans. Now, with Seiche’s investment, AutoNaut can realise its full potential.”